2016 Year In Review

December 22nd, 2016 -As 2016 comes to a close, we reflect on the many topics Planet SIX has covered throughout the year. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom had one heck of a year with the addition of the JOKER hybrid coaster, the reopening of the Iwerks 4D theater, and much more. Without further ado, here is our year in review.

The Joker

The park's 2016 attraction was The Joker, a smash hit in Northern California and one of the most anticipated coasters of the year. The Joker opened late May and became a fan favorite. It's certainly a needed coaster that the park needed. Below are some photos we've taken throughout the ride's progression.

We saw the beginning of track work on our 1st update in December of 2015.

In late January, we saw the completion of the Joker's first inversion, the Step Up Under Flip.

Once we hit March, the Joker was about half way completed with construction.

During the construction site tour, the park gave us a glimpse of the going construction. They also revealed the front car of one of the trains. At this time, the track work was about 90% done.

Joker Construction Tour - April 2016

Fast forwarding to the Joker's media day event hosted by the park in late May.

It isn't the Joker's media day without the Joker of course!

The Joker a few days after its opening.

Although the Joker had a rough start, being down most the time. The ride is running better than it has ever before.

Overall, The Joker was a great addition to the parks lineup of rides and attractions. If you haven't ridden The Joker, I highly recommend you go out and ride this unique RMC.

Iwerks Theater

In January of 2016, we saw the reopening of the Iwerks 4D theater. After being used as a storage area for multiple years, the theater was refurbished to once again reopen. During this years Holiday in the Park event, the film was changed to Arctic Adventure in 4D. It's described as a dazzling rocket adventure through the arctic. Sounds fun!

Pacific Rim 5D

Arctic Adventure in 4D

Rage of the Gargoyles - VR Experience

In August of 2016, the park had announced that it will be installing Rage of the Gargoyles, an interactive VR experience to Kong for a limited time run. Rage of the Gargoyles was set to operate during the parks annual Fright Fest event. In addition to the new experience, the restraints were re-done on the trains and now have a thinner profile to them. The ride is still a bit rough, but the new retrofitted restraints reduced the amount of head banging significantly.

Picture - Six Flags

The headsets used for the VR experience.

Fright Fest

The park hosted their annual halloween event called Fright Fest. During the months September and October, the park was decorated with multiple thematic halloween props for the many scare zones within the park. Additionally, the park offers upcharged maze to go through and had many shows to see.

During Fright Fest, the dolphin fountain is removed and replaced with a Halloween themed fountain with water dyed red to resemble blood. Every so often, flames would shoot out on the top of the fountain.

Some more Fright Fest decorations throughout the park.

Holiday in the Park

Holiday in the Park is the park's annual holiday celebration. The event started mid November and spans through the new year. During this time, the park is decorated with lights, festive decorations, and have many holiday esque festivities to enjoy!

A Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the park in the main plaza.

Throughout the park are many photo ops for guests.

New for 2017 - WONDER WOMAN: Lasso of Truth

Announced on September 1st, Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth will be the park's newest thrill ride, set to open in 2017. We will continuous coverage of WONDER WOMAN: Lasso of Truth as we head into the new year.

Stay tuned for more coverage in the future!!!

Closing Statement

As 2016 is coming to an end, we can clearly see that Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is heading in the right direction bringing innovation, thrills, and fun to all its guests. Among the many changes the park has made this year, we at Planet SIX can not wait to see what surprises are in store for 2017. Thank you for a wonderful year! -Dominique